Is Obamacare perfect? Absolutely not, and no one expected a law that affects 1/5th of the economy to be perfect. Every major piece of legislation in modern history has had unforeseen consequences. That’s why follow up pieces of legislation are introduced to fix or improve the existing law. In general, Obamacare achieved its goal of increased coverage and access to health care, but has had little effect on the underlying costs of healthcare. Action could be taken to address these challenges, but Republican Congressmen are more concerned with political wins and demagoguery than actually improving health care.

Lets be clear, this isn’t a healthcare reform bill, it is a tax cut. There is nothing in this bill that reforms or addresses the underlying costs of healthcare. It is a $700 billion tax cut for top earners that is paid for by cutting healthcare for the most vulnerable in our society. The Tax Policy Center concluded that 45% of this tax cut would go to the top 1% of earners. Do top earners really need a massive tax cut?

In the last 50 years, there has been growing wealth inequality due to a number of factorsincluding global competition, consolidation and automation. The top 10% of our population has flourished during this period while the lower-middle class has struggled. Despite the rhetoric, we actually have some of the lowest effective federal income tax rates in modern history. There is absolutely no need to give a tax break to the top 10%.

This bill may not hurt you directly. In fact, a few of us will get a decent tax cut and potentially lower health insurance premiums. If you are doing well financially, young and healthy; you will likely do better under this plan. But if you have family or friends who are lower-middle income, have chronic health conditions or ages 55-64, this bill could be downright catastrophic for them, and I am not being hyperbolic.

The CBO analysis states that 22 million less people will be covered in 10 years and “most people purchasing it would have higher out of pocket expenses than under current law.” This law does not improve coverage/access or lower costs, so what the hell are we talking about here???

None of this really matters to Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell though. They clearly don’t give a shit about making healthcare more accessible and affordable. This is all about getting a legislative win and tearing down the legacy of Obama, regardless of how many people this will bankrupt and kill. Make no mistake, people will die as a result of this bill who otherwise would not of.

#IWISHITWASHYPERBOLE #MAKEAMERICASICKAGAIN

SENATE GOP BILL: MAKE AMERICA SICK AGAIN was last modified: June 27th, 2017 by El Chapo

The premise that selling health insurance across state lines is “the magical pill” to save the health insurance market is the biggest load of bullshit since Obama said “you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor”. The GOP claims that cross-state selling will make insurance so affordable, and so terrific, that everyone will not be able to contain themselves from flooding the market to buy health insurance like its a goddamn new iPhone! There is NOTHING that gets people fired up, like paying monthly insurance premiums for services they hope they never have to use… Regardless, the underlying idea is that adding insurers and policies into markets will boost competition and reduce costs – which sounds great from a philosophical perspective, but is also a bunch a bullshit and completely impractical.

Funny enough, the issue with this philosophy isn’t overbearing federal restriction on selling insurance; it’s the individual laws within states. To be clear, there are currently ZERO federal restrictions on selling health insurance across state lines, so insurers could sell across lines today if they wanted (a few have actually tried and failed miserably). Like most state laws, they can vary widely from state to state depending on their individual population dynamics. For example, Nevada may have vastly different chiropractic requirements for insurance policies compared to Maryland. In aggregate, all of these specific state regulations can be major barriers for out of state insurers. In addition, insurers must set up doctors networks and competitive reimbursement rates within the expanded market. In addition, negotiating competitive rates is a major challenge without significant competition. Lastly, health care costs vary across state lines, so a cheaper plan in Alabama will not bear the same costs in New York – insurers could take a loss charging a consumer in New York the same premium as a consumer in Alabama for the same coverage.

The Center on Health Insurance Reform conducted a study in Six States which all had legislation specifically aimed either to study or actively promote selling across state lines. Unfortunately, given the challenges mentioned above, NOT A SINGLE insurer sold a SINGLE product into a new market. I repeat, NOT A SINGLE INSURER SOLD A SINGLE PRODUCT INTO A NEW MARKET.

Here are the summary of the findings:

To date, although all states have long had the authority to do so, only six have enacted across state lines legislation.

Across state lines legislation was largely unsuccessful because of the localized nature of how health care is delivered

Practical barriers and administrative obstacles also hinder success.

Once enacted, these laws appear to lack any organized champion

These cross-state proposals fail to address underlying differences in cost from state to state

In short, even a concerted effort by states to promote cross-state selling failed due to (1) burdensome STATE regulations and resources needed to expand into new markets and (2) the new policies were not well received in the market itself (which is the entire impetus behind the policy in the first place). Ironically, the only way to sell across state lines without dealing with burdensome state regulations, would be to establish federal plans that could be sold regardless of state regulations (which may be unconstitutional, I have no idea). So in order for Republicans to get this to work, they would have to supersede state’s rights, for “BIG government” federal oversight….. you would have a better shot at catching Paul Ryan taking a shit on the White House lawn than doing what I just outlined.

So why are Republicans claiming that selling across state lines is the magical pill we need to fix our healthcare system? Because they don’t have a real plan to actually fix healthcare, they just want to reduce government at all costs unless it has to do with national “defense” or homeland security.

MAGA!!!!

-El Chapo

Selling Across State Lines Is Nonsense, Don’t Fall For It was last modified: March 16th, 2017 by El Chapo

I was going to spend this first blog of 2017 lambasting Trump, but considering how awful the Trump transition has been the last 6 weeks, we will have PLENTY of time for that over the next 4 years. Instead, I want to call out anyone who still says “NOT MY PRESIDENT”. I don’t care if you are a LGBT Hispanic Muslim immigrant who visits Planned Parenthood monthly, he is still your President. Sure he was elected on a platform of misinformation, xenophobia and downright incoherence, but he is still our President. Denying hes legitimacy doesn’t make you altruistic, it makes you an asshole. Let’s not act like the insufferable Mitch McConnell and the Republican party of the last 6 years whose sole focus was to bury Obama. Look, I detest Donald Trump as much as anyone, but for the sake of our country, I pray that he has a productive presidency. I hope that he can improve the lives of ALL our citizens like he has promised. Part of that means having a healthy dose of skepticism. Part of that means fighting the flat-earthers at every pass whether it has to do with climate change, health care, safety net, etc. That said, let’s not root for failure out of spite.

So next time you think about saying “Not My President”, just remember how angry this made you.

#makedonaldgreatagain

-El Chapo

He is OUR President, Get over it was last modified: January 20th, 2017 by El Chapo

Washington (CNN)Top congressional leaders from each party expressed buyer’s remorse Thursday about a controversial new law that was enacted over President Barack Obama’s objections that allows 9/11 families to sue Saudi Arabia. Just one day after these lawmakers led the first override of a veto during Obama’s presidency they publicly called for making changes to the law. But even as they admitted they agreed with some of the White House’s concerns, GOP leaders quickly blamed the President for “dropping the ball” for failing to engage with Congress on the legislation before it passed.

If there has ever been an quintessential THANKS OBAMA moment in the past 8 years, this is it. Congress proposed (and passed) a poorly written bill that would open the doors for any whack job conspiracy theorist to file incredulous lawsuits against foreign countries. More importantly, it exposes the United States to similar actions by foreign governments for some of our own unintended devastation. Luckily, Obama decided to bail them out with a presidential veto, but instead of walking away saying “hey, we tried”, they forced a veto override vote to get the bill through. For the first time under the Obama presidency, a veto override vote actually succeeded and the bill will be written into law. Now here comes the downright asinine part of this story, less than 24 hours after the override, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blames Obama for the bill that he pushed to override (see video below).

“Everyone was aware of who the potential beneficiaries were but nobody had really focused on the downside in terms of our international relationships” – McConnell

By everyone do you mean yourself? The whole reason Obama opposed this in the first place was because of the potential ‘downside in terms of international relationships’

For comparison sake, lets say Obama and McConnell went to a bar together and got shitfaced. Its almost last call and McConnell says, “I think I am going to have a shot of tequila (the bad bill),” and Obama says, “no probably not a good idea, you will likely throw up.” McConnell responds “I don’t care, I am going to order one anyway.” When the shot comes, Obama takes it and throws it in the trash (veto) and says, “dude you don’t want this, it will lead to some unintended consequences.” McConnell than goes to another bar behind Obama’s back, orders the shot of tequila, drinks it and then proceeds to vomit all over himself 15 minutes later. Obama comments, “I warned you there was unintended consequences,” and McConnell’s responds, “this is your fault, you should haven’t have let me take tequila, THANKS OBAMA.”

MAYBE YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE DRANK THE TEQUILA (bill) THAT OBAMA WARNED YOU WAS BAD AND EVEN THREW AWAY (veto) THE FIRST TIME YOU ORDERED IT, YOU SHORTSIGHTED TURTLE-FACE MORON!!!

-El Chapo

CONGRESS OVERRIDES OBAMA’S VETO, THEN BLAMES HIM FOR IT was last modified: September 30th, 2016 by El Chapo

Last week, Officer Betty Shelby of the Tulsa County Police Department, shot and and killed an unarmed black man, Terence Crutcher, as he was walking away from the officer with his hands up. See video below.

It really isn’t Officer Shelby’s fault though, this is an actual Tulsa County Police Department training video on the proper protocols to discharge your firearm.

Needless to say, their training protocols need to be updated!

-El Chapo

TULSA POLICE DEPARTMENT BEST PRACTICES was last modified: September 21st, 2016 by El Chapo

There are certain times in politics where I feel like Jacobim Mugatu from the movie Zoolander. “Doesn’t anyone notice this, I FEEL LIKE I AM TAKING CRAZY PILLS!!!”

If you ask fringe Trump voters why they plan to vote for him, many of them will say, “I just don’t trust Hillary”. Okay and you trust Donald Trump? That is like saying you don’t want a sex offender to babysit your children, and then hiring Subway Jared. Seriously though, have you paid attention to this election at all, or just repeating what your ignorant neighbor said? Every politician lies (and so does every single person on earth), there is no doubting that, but Trump lies more often and more severely than any other politician.

I will be the first to admit, Hillary Clinton comes off a little ‘too calculated’ and can be a complete robot at times. But lets be honest, it’s not the worst quality in a candidate. After all, the President does represent a diverse nation of 319 million people, leads global negotiations that can alter the course of history, and considered by many, the leader of the free world… so shouting every brain fart that comes into your head, probably isn’t a good idea. Regardless of Clinton’s robotic demeanor, Trump is everything a president should not be. Sure, Trump does not worry about his “political correctness”, but he also lacks factual correctness, conviction in his statements or any sense of humility.

Trump’s conviction is a major reason people want to vote for him. “He means what he says” is a common Trumpeter sound byte. In reality, no one knows how he really feels because he can flip flop on issues from day to day depending on whats popular in that very moment. While many politicians are famous for flip-flopping over the course of a 30 year career (Clinton, Obama, Mitt Romney, the list goes on), no one has changed their minds with the ease and frequency of Donald. The Daily Show highlighted this best in their segment called, “Imagining Donald Trump’s Cabinet”

“I’m speaking with myself, number one, because I have a very good brain.” Donald J. Trump, ladies and gentleman, the future President of the United States!

You cant make this stuff up, although The Donald is very good at that too. He pretty much makes up everything as he goes but prefaces his statements with “people are saying”, to add the illusion of credibility (illusion only stupid people cannot see through).

Anyone who says that Clinton lies more than Donald is grossly misinformed. It was not an opinion of mine when I stated Donald lies more often and more severely, it is a fact. Politifact.com did an analysis of 650 statements from Presidential candidates in the last year and here are some their findings.

Donald Trump has told more bold faced (pants on fire) lies than all other 21 candidates combined, and 78% of his statements are rated mostly false or worse, but Hillary is the one we can’t trust?!?

The most frustrating part about Donald’s lies, is that when confronted with irrefutable evidence that negates his claims, he lacks the humility to admit he was wrong. CNN’s Chris Cuomo articulated this perfectly in his interview with Paul Manafort (Trump Campaign Chairman) where he admitted a known truth that Melania Trump’s speech writers lifted some lines from Michelle Obama’s 2008 DNC speech.

So he lies more often, and more severely. He lacks real conviction and can flip flop on major issues from day to day. And lastly, he lacks any humility when confronted with mistakes or errors. But yet, he is still more honest and trustworthy than Clinton……..

-El Chapo

You Don’t Trust Clinton, So You Are Voting Trump? Huh?!?! was last modified: July 28th, 2016 by El Chapo

Donald Trump’s presidential campaign has been a sea of incoherent, racist rants. We have all been quick to call him out as a xenophobe (as we should); however, along the way we have forgotten who has been fanning the flames of racism for the last 7 years – the Republican Party. Yesterday at the Convention, in a brief moment of unapologetic honesty, Steve King suggested that non-whites have contributed nothing to modern civilization. In case you were wondering, Steve King is not a declared Neo-Nazi or a leader of the KKK, he is US Congressman from the state of Iowa. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu-LBS_kpDQ “Where are these contributions that have been made from other categories of people…” I don’t know about you, but it almost feels like the guy with the white beard accidentallyhoney dickedSteve King here. White Beard suggests that brown people are taking over the Republican Party, and this is the last time white people will be running the show. Then he subtly gives a nod to Steve King for being white and still being in Congress, which seemed to give King a mini anxiety attack. It was clear King could only see red at this point (actually, I guess brown is a more appropriate color here). Steve naturally responded with defensive racist nonsense that is akin to what Hitler would likely say on a Monday afternoon, not a 2016 US Congressman. God Bless you Steve King for your honesty, but more importantly, God Bless White Beard for honey dicking the shit out of Representative King into saying what half of his Party probably thinks… and the reason Trump is winning 40% of Americas vote. And it’s not just a single anecdote we are looking at here. There are countless examples of subtle, and not so subtle racist rants from leading Republicans. We just notice it more with Trump because he is an inarticulate buffoon who speaks at a 3rd grade reading level. I thought about unpacking Kings comments and showing all the contributions non-whites have made, but it’s just too ridiculous a task. Also if anyone needs evidence to refute his comments (1) you are a moron (2) you are racist (3) you are a lost cause. #makeamericaracistagain #alwayshasbeen -El Chapo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwZ0p6v9aaw

US Congressman Says Non-Whites Have No Contributions To Civilization was last modified: July 28th, 2016 by El Chapo

There are over 300 million guns in the US. This means there are roughly as many guns as people. I think it is safe to say that if we take away the most deadly and rapidly lethal guns, Americans will still have plenty to play with (or “defend themselves” as many say). There are too many semi-automatic rifles – simply banning them won’t do the trick. We need to get them the hell out of here. President Obama, Hilary Clinton & the Democratic party may not want to take any of your guns away, but they are dead wrong. Any gun that can fire 150-300 rounds per minute should not be in the hands of ANY citizen. I don’t give a shit if the Pope wants to buy an AR-15 – it shouldn’t happen.

If someone wants to purchase a handgun, shotgun or hunting rifle – he or she can have at it as long as that person can wait patiently for 10 minutes while a background check is conducted. I know it’s a pain in the ass to fill out a form and wait 10 minutes, but I would argue the minor inconvenience is worth it. But assault rifles? Sorry, no mas. The idea of taking these weapons away from citizens is really not that crazy. We can implement a mandatory buyback like Australia did in 1996 after they had their deadliest mass shooting in history. In case you were wondering, they have had ZERO mass shootings since then.

I am not naive enough to think we will have the same level of success as Australia. There will still be incidents in the US even after such measures, as the most determined criminals will find a way to wreak havoc. That being said, we should not make it easier for criminals and terrorists to murder innocent people. If you look at the number of mass shootings we had in 2015, it is clear we are making it way too easy (spoiler alert: there were 372 separate mass shootings in 2015). No law ever works absolutely. We have countless laws that seek to limit and reduce certain behaviors and NONE of them have succeeded in completely eliminating that behavior. We have pretty strict drunk driving laws but thousands still drink and drive -does that mean we should abolish drunk driving laws? Of course not.

MASS MURDERS AND WATERMELONS

Semi-Automatic rifles are good for two things: killing a lot of people & shooting watermelons in your backyard.

I do sympathize with the rights of watermelon shooters. However, there are more important matters than your Saturday leisure activities – such as doing everything we can to prevent the murder of 26 small children in an elementary school OR a mass shooting in a movie theater full of people OR the slaughter of 49 dancing gay people in a night club. So I am deeply sorry watermelon shooters, but we’re gonna need to take away your guns because the price for you to shoot at inanimate objects is not worth the thousands of lives ruined by assault weapons.

SELF-DEFENSE MY ASS

Anyone who argues that these guns are used for self-defense is full of shit. If you need an AR-15 to defend your home, you are doing some bad shit and should probably be in jail. I am pretty sure you can defend yourself against home intruders with shotguns and/or handguns. Also, who actually carries their AR-15 with them? I am gonna go out on a limb and say that the 90-99% of gun owners don’t carry ANY of their guns with them, EVER. I know a few gun owners and I have NEVER seen any of them carry in public “to defend themselves”.

WE CAN TAKE YOUR GUNS AWAY

Before you gun-nuts lose your shit, take a breath and attempt to practice logical reasoning before you scream your nonsensical bullshit about the 2nd Amendment. First, please read the literal text of the 2nd Amendment which states:

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

Although the literal text clearly states guns are meant for a “well regulated militia”, our Constitution is open to interpretation to reflect current times (as it should). In 2008, the Supreme Court ruled that individuals do have the right to bear arms in DC vs. Heller. Even in this ruling, the Court clearly states limitations should be put in place:

“Like most rights, the Second Amendment right is not unlimited. It is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose”

You can look at most of the Amendments in our Constitution and you will see there are limitations. For instance, the 1st Amendment (arguably the most important amendment in our constitution), is littered with limitations. Although we have freedom of speech, you cannot falsely scream fire in a movie theater. Although we have freedom of the press, libel laws prevent intentional sabotage. Although we have the right to peacefully assemble, you cannot protest in the middle of the street or impede the freedom of others. Limitations are as necessary as the amendments themselves.

So if America is on the side of reason, why can’t we get this passed? Simple – the NRA.

Although the NRA is a relatively small lobbying group, it yields tremendous power and commands great attention among the American public, especially the conservative right. The NRA does not hesitate to spread misleading information or fiery rhetoricto achieve their political goals. Just look at their latest ‘Call to Arms‘ in the last 24 hours as it appears Sen. Chris Murphy’s 14 hour filibuster has pushed the GOP Senate to allow a vote on (1) expanding background checks to all purchases and (2) ban anyone on the FBI terror watch list from buying a gun (Tyranny, I know). The NRA is not on the side of responsible gun ownership and saving American lives, they are on the side of gun manufacturers and selling guns.

Although semi-automatic rifles should clearly be banned, and most people agree they should, there is ZERO chance of it happening. We live in a country that includes many many ignorant, paranoid and stupid people – which is essentially the perfect storm of inaction as long as the fear mongering NRA keeps its tune. I guess on a positive note, at least rednecks will still have their Saturday afternoons to look forward to. On the downside, we will continue to have daily mass shootings. #freedomisntfree #itcostsfolkslikeyouandme #merica

-El Chapo

Yes We Should Take Some Of Your Guns Away, Get Over It was last modified: June 17th, 2016 by El Chapo

Well since we don’t have any important issues to resolve like 20 trillion in national debt, crumbling infrastructure, climate change, widening income equality, growing trade deficits, ISIS, North Korea, Syria or rising tensions with Russia… lets spend money, time and resources on where we are going to allow 0.03% of the population to take a shit. This is the latest political controversy sweeping the nation regarding a North Carolina bill forcing transgender people to use the bathroom of the gender indicated on their birth certificate. If you havent followed this story, you can read a decent summary here.

At first glance, this law doesn’t sound that unreasonable (at least to someone ignorant on transgender issues such as myself), but when you look underneath the surface, this law essentially solves a problem that does not exist. While it does not solve any systemic or even minor problems in North Carolina, it does a great job marginalizing one of the more vulnerable minority groups in our country.

It is a tough issue for our society because it’s very difficult to put ourselves in the shoes of a transgender person, which in turn makes it even harder to empathize with their situation. In reality, they are people just like us. Despite consistent character attacks by the right, transgender people are not sexual predators who are changing their sex so that they can have 5 minutes in the bathroom with your daughter. I am pretty sure there are easier ways to prey on young children if you really wanted to. If you have ever seen To Catch A Predator, sexual predators tend to look more like Curt Schilling, not Ru Paul.

For arguments sake, lets assume ALL transgender people are sexual predators. Since most transgender people are attracted to their same biological sex, wouldn’t forcing transgender people to use the bathroom of the biological sex cause more transgender attacks on children, not less? Some lawmakers are also suggesting that if we don’t pass this law, anti-discrimination ordinances like the one passed in Charlotte will allow any sexual predator to access a women’s restroom. This of course has been debunked through analysis of many other cities where these ordinances already exist. As indicated by politifact.com, this is a non-existent problem.

So we’re not solving a problem and even in the hypothetical, this law is likely to cause more problems, not less… so what is it about transgender people that Republican lawmakers feel the need to expend so much political capital and risk losing billions of dollars in their state? Hmmm… maybe it is becauseconservatives see them as different and different is scary. A particular vein in the Republican Party has deep insecurities and fear of the abnormal. Just like the fear that all Hispanics are rapists and all Muslims are terrorists, they need to keep out all transgender people because they are all predators. Obviously none of this is true, but this is just the latest episode in the continuing saga of Republican bigotry.

Despite his streak of xenophobia, I couldn’t agree with The Donald more on this one.

It truly does boil down to the simple fact that transgender bathroom attacks OR predators taking advantage of non-discrimination ordinances is a non-existent problem. So why pass legislation that alienates this small group of our society that has enough problems to deal with considering almost half will try to commit suicide in their lifetime.

Listen, if there is an epidemic of transgender rapes in public bathrooms, I am happy to pass HB2. But until then, if this transgender dude wants to take a squat in the mens bathroom, who honestly gives a shit? #punintended

-El Chapo

Should We Give A Shit Where People Shit? was last modified: May 17th, 2016 by El Chapo

In Donald Trump’s latest episode of stupidity, he claimed Ted Cruz’s father had a part in the assassination of JFK. That’s right. Donald J. Trump, the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party for PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, asserted that Ted Cruz’s father contributed to the assassination of JFK.

In case you don’t believe me, watch his accusation for yourself.

Now where did Donald Trump get this ground breaking story from??? The gutters of the internet of course (AKA The National Enquirer). You know, the top tier organization with the highest of journalistic standards – National Enquirer Funniest Headlines.

This doesn’t surprise me though. As I have laid out in a previous post, Donald Trump Thinks Everything On The Internet Is True. What absolutely shocks me is how he keeps carrying primaries and has all but locked up the Republican nomination. How can you think someone so gullible and thickheaded should be the President Of The United States?!?! How can you think someone who clearly lacks any sort of critical thinking skills should be our Commander in Chief???

Who knows??? Maybe Trump is just a genius who is capitalizing on the stupidity of the American people like Cam Brady did against Marty Huggins.

“I mean what was he doing with Lee Harvey Oswald shortly before the assassination of JFK.” – Donald Trump

That sounds eerily similar to a campaign ad by Cam Brady.

Yes, I know the movie ‘The Campaign” is a satirical movie that pokes fun at some of the mind numbing parts of the election process, but as time goes on it feels less like satire and more like reality.

-El Chapo

DONALD TRUMP CLAIMS TED CRUZ’S DAD ASSASSINATED JFK, SERIOUSLY, HE DID was last modified: May 5th, 2016 by El Chapo